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Manufacturing partners revealed so far include Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. No specifications for any model have been revealed yet.

However, headsets are expected to retail from $299. No UK prices were given at the event, held in New York, and partners may well set their own prices. Expect close to parity though, thanks to the devalued Pound. Microsoft yesterday also confirmed higher prices for UK businesses due to Brexit.

Impressively, and despite the lack of specs just yet, Microsoft's plans seem to allow for untethered headsets. One of the most annoying things in using VR headsets to date is having a massive cable trailing out from the back of your head - see the WIRED reviews of HTC Vive and PlayStation VR for our frustrations on that front.

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Instead, Microsoft says all its headsets will include what it calls "six degrees of freedom" sensors. These are inside-out trackers, removing the need for external cameras or laser detectors, allowing for a less "complicated set-up" than its peers. While the unit demonstrated on stage appeared to be wired, Microsoft made mention of "standalone" capabilities, per The Next Web.

Today's reveal is a distinct change of direction for the Windows-maker, which has so far largely been focusing on its augmented reality Hololens rather than immersive VR. Don't expect to see the AR headset go anywhere though - it will remain on its own development path. There is at least one crossover though: the VR kits will run HoloTour, the software included with Hololens.

The virtual reality headsets are to be compatible with the upcoming Creators Update for Windows 10, and will be on sale in early 2017.